Getting offensive: Junior Stephen Simmons had 196 all-purpose yards, a career high. Simmons ran for 73 yards on 13 carries, a 5.6 average, and scored two touchdowns. He brought five kickoffs back for 108 yards and caught one pass for 15 yards.
On the defensive: It’s rarely a good sign when a safety leads a team in tackles. Brendan Smith had 12 for the Wildcats, who didn’t fare well in line-of-scrimmage skirmishes as Eastern ran for 172 yards, 5.4 per carry.
The number: 6. Northwestern has won six straight games in September, unbeaten in the month since a 28-16 loss to Michigan on Sept. 29, 2007.
They’re still talking about: Stefan Demos’ game-winning 49-yard field goal. “He has a real calm presence about him,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “He put a real smooth swing on it and made a great kick. It probably would have been good from 55 or 60 yards.”
Looking ahead: Northwestern (2-0) travels to Syracuse Saturday evening.
